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Sprat Soup in Tomato Sauce
Instructions
I prepare all the ingredients I need. I peel and rinse the vegetables.
I cut the potatoes into small pieces.
I dice the onion finely.
I cut the carrot into thin strips or grate it coarsely.
I put the potatoes in a pot, add the water and place it on the heat. I bring it to the boil and cook over medium heat for 10 minutes – until the potatoes are half-cooked. The cooking time depends on the variety of potato.
Meanwhile, I heat the vegetable oil in a pan and lightly fry the onion and carrot.
I add the sautéed onion and carrot to the pot with the potatoes, then add the sprat in tomato sauce. I add salt and, if you like, some ground black pepper. I also add finely chopped fresh or frozen herbs. I cook over medium heat until the potatoes are done.
The sprat soup in tomato sauce is ready. I serve it hot.Enjoy your meal!
Tips
- 1
250 grams of sprat to 2 litres of water is the "golden" ratio. Use less and the broth will be "empty"; use more and you get too much tomato thickness.
- 2
Eat it on the day it is cooked – by the second day the taste is worse. Fish soups quickly lose their freshness.
- 3
Add a grain or vermicelli if you like. Rice, buckwheat or fine vermicelli will make it more filling. For a "light" soup, leave them out.
- 4
Add the herbs at the end of cooking – this keeps them fresh and preserves their vitamins. The same principle works in other kinds of fish soup.
Video
FAQ
Which sprat should I choose? +
Baltic sprat in tomato sauce is ideal – such as "Latvijskie shproty", "Morskaya" or "Baltika". The brands "5 morey", "Morskoy volk" and "Bering" are reliable choices. Check the ingredients: fish, tomato sauce and spices – without vegetable fats or colourings. A 250 ml can is the standard size. Do not use "sprat in oil" – it is not suitable for soup. Make sure the use-by date has not passed. Whole fish in the can are preferable to "pieces". Good-quality sprat has a rich tomato colour, not a "pale" one. It should be without a strong "fishy" smell – a sign of a natural product.
What can replace sprat? +
Alternatives: gobies in tomato sauce (meatier), sardine in tomato, saury in tomato (more tender), or canned tuna plus 2 tbsp of tomato paste. For a "light" soup, use canned pollock or hake. Without fish, make a vegetable tomato soup with cabbage and beans. The brands "5 morey", "Morskaya", "Bering" and "Kapitan Morey" are reliable. Fresh small fish (anchovies) plus tomato paste make a "homemade" version of sprat in tomato. For a "premium" soup, use sprat plus pieces of salmon. Frozen sprat will not work without tomato sauce.
How long does the soup keep? +
In a covered pot in the fridge – 1 day at most. Fish soup with canned fish does not keep long – it "ages" quickly. Do not freeze it – the potatoes and fish lose their texture after thawing. Cook it for one meal. For an "office lunch", take it in a thermos. Do not leave it at room temperature for longer than 2 hours. For "freshness", serve it straight after cooking. If any is left, eat it the next day, but the taste will be worse. For a large family, make a double portion, but serve it all at once.
What goes well with the soup? +
Classics: with black or grey bread, or rye crispbread. With sour cream (1 tsp) for a milder taste. With herbs (dill, parsley, spring onion). With ground black pepper for a spicy accent. With a glass of vodka, "Russian-style". With salted cucumbers or pickled cabbage, "peasant-style". For a "budget lunch", with potatoes and bread. For a picnic, in a thermos. It is a budget soup for students and pensioners – affordable products, minimum effort, maximum flavour. With a glass of kvass or fruit drink. Garnish with fresh parsley when serving.
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